lb  « 


Our  Task 
Abroad 

By 

J.  Y.  Aitchison,  D.  D. 


American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society 

FORD  BUILDING  ASHBURTON  PLACE 

Boston  Mass. 

1919 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/ourtaskabroadOOaitc 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 

By  J.  Y.  Aitchison,  D.D. 


BAPTISTS  were  not  popular  a hundred  years  ago. 
Because  they  championed  the  cause  of  religious 
liberty  they  were  looked  upon  as  dangerous  heretics. 
The  state  undertook  to  regulate  by  means  of  fines,  im- 
prisonment, or  other  cruel  forms  of  punishment,  the 
opinions  of  men,  both  in  the  realm  of  religion  and  politics. 
Roger  Williams,  the  prophet  of  liberty,  had  said:  “It  is 
the  will  of  God  that  a permission  of  the  most  pagan, 
Jewish,  Turkish  and  anti-Christian  conscience  be  granted 
to  all  men  in  all  nations  and  countries.”  The  Baptists 
believed  this  doctrine.  They  preached  it.  Many  died 
in  its  defense.  Persecution  brought  the  Baptists  of  those 
days  into  closer  brotherhood.  They  grew  from  a small 
company  of  poor  and  obscure  people,  with  but  few  excep- 
tions, to  an  influential  body.  When  they  began  to  witness 
the  triumph  of  the  principles  for  which  they  were  con- 
tending the  result  was  not  altogether  wholesome.  It  is 
not  surprising  that  a sectarianism,  born  of  their  persecu- 
tion and  constant  conflict,  was  developed.  This  left  them 
somewhat  severe  and  self-sufficient  in  spirit. 

Then,  too,  the  moral  condition  of  the  world  was  most 
depressing.  The  spiritually  stifling  wave  of  infidelity, 
which  wrought  such  havoc  in  France,  Germany  and 
England  during  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century 
extended  its  influence  over  the  United  States  also.  Skep- 
ticism became  fashionable  in  the  colleges.  It  held  Adoni- 
ram  Judson  in  its  grip  for  months,  having  reached  him 
through  one  of  the  most  brilliant  students  in  Providence 
College.  The  story  of  Judson’s  conversion  and  consecra- 
tion to  missionary  service  and  the  hardships  attending  his 
journey  to  Burma,  form  one  of  the  most  interesting  and 
inspiring  records  of  history.  What  if  Judson  had  been 
held  captive  by  skepticism?  What  a loss  it  would  have 
been  to  the  Baptist  cause  and  to  the  world!  But  under 
the  providence  of  God,  Judson  became  the  first  foreign 


4 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


missionary  from  America  to  the  non-Christian  world. 
His  going  forth  under  the  American  Board,  his  study  of 
the  Bible  and  his  change  of  views  to  the  Baptist  faith 
while  on  the  high  seas,  his  letter  to  Baptist  friends  in 
America  telling  of  his  new  convictions  regarding  church 
membership,  his  offering  himself  as  a Baptist  missionary, 
the  organization  of  the  first  Baptist  foreign  mission  society 
on  May  18,  1814,  under  the  title  of  “The  General  Mission- 
ary Convention  of  the  Baptist  Denomination  in  the 
United  States  of  America  for  Foreign  Missions,”  are  all 
thrilling  events  in  the  early  history  of  Baptist  foreign 
mission  work. 

This  Convention  had  been  formed  and  Judson  was  in 
Burma  five  years  before  we  had  a denominational  paper. 
The  secular  press  was  not  then,  as  now,  favorably  disposed 
to  the  cause  of  foreign  missions.  The  very  contrary 
was  true.  The  rank  and  file,  in  fact  all  but  a very  few 
church  members,  were  entirely  out  of  sympathy  with  the 
enterprise.  To  Luther  Rice  and  his  untiring  efforts  in 
America,  as  well  as  to  Adoniram  Judson  and  his  associates 
in  India,  posterity  owes  undying  gratitude  for  the  develop- 
ment of  the  missionary  spirit.  For  twenty  long  years 
Luther  Rice  traveled  constantly  among  the  churches, 
literally  spending  his  energes  of  soul  and  body  without 
any  thought  of  self,  in  an  untiring  but  fruitful  effort  to 
awaken  a missionary  spirit  in  the  churches.  At  the  end 
of  this  twenty-year  period  a marvelous  missionary  interest 
was  manifest. 

In  1834  Baptist  work  was  started  in  Europe.  Rev. 
Isaac  Wilmarth  went  as  our  first  Baptist  representative 
to  France.  In  the  same  year  Rev.  J.  G.  Oncken  and 
several  others  were  baptized  near  Hamburg.  This  was 
the  beginning  of  our  work  in  Germany.  In  1838  the 
baptism  of  Julius  Kobner  proved  to  be  the  beginning  of 
Baptist  history  in  Denmark.  During  these  intervening 
years  American  Baptists  have  received  countless  blessings, 
in  missionaries,  financial  support  and  inspiration  from  our 
Baptist  brothers  who  have  come  from  these  countries. 
Our  work  has  been  richly  blessed  of  God  in  Scandinavian 
countries,  as  well  as  in  Germany.  Its  reflex  influence 
has  been  felt  profoundly  in  our  work  among  these  Euro- 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


5 


pean  people  in  America,  so  that  today  no  other  denomina- 
tion has  as  great  a hold  upon  these  nationalities  as  have 
the  Baptists.  This  fact  carries  with  it  not  only  a cause  for 
gratitude  but  also  a great  responsibility. 

In  1830  Rev.  John  T.  Jones  was  sent  to  open  work  in 
Bangkok,  China.  Work  was  extended  from  this  center 
to  Macao  in  1836.  The  South  China  Mission  was  opened 
at  Hongkong  in  1841.  This  was  later  transferred  to 
Swatow.  In  December,  1834,  fifteen  new  missionaries 
were  sent  to  reenforce  the  work  in  Burma.  What  an 
event  for  those  early  days!  The  church  at  home  was 
awakened:  the  prayers  of  the  missionaries  on  the  far- 
flung  battle  line  were  being  answered.  In  the  same  year 
work  was  undertaken  among  the  Telugus  of  South  India, 
and  in  1836  Rev.  Nathan  Brown  and  O.  T.  Cutler  of  the 
Burma  Mission  opened  work  in  Sadiya,  Assam.  In  1838 
the  Free  Baptists  began  work  in  Bengal-Orissa. 

Mention  should  be  made  here  also  of  the  fact  that  the 
Convention  began  work  among  the  American  Indians  in 
1817.  Missionaries  were  sent  to  tribes  in  New  York  State 
and  on  the  western  frontier.  A great  interest  developed 
also  among  the  Cherokees  of  North  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
While  these  tribes  were  on  their  way  to  Indian  Territory, 
whither  they  were  compelled  to  remove  in  1838,  170 
made  confession  of  Christ  during  the  journey.  In  1865  the 
work  among  the  Indians  was  transferred  to  the  Home  Mis- 
sion Society,  under  whose  direction  it  has  developed  greatly. 

The  Telugu  Mission  in  South  India  was  opened  in  1835. 
Five  years  later  the  first  Telugu  convert  was  baptized. 
In  1845  the  results  had  been  so  meagre  that  the  Missionary 
Union  would  doubtless  have  closed  the  mission  but  for 
the  earnest  appeal  of  Dr.  Judson,  then  at  home  on  fur- 
lough. It  was  decided  to  send  Rev.  Lyman  Jewett  to 
reenforce  the  work.  More  years  passed  with  no  apparent 
fruits  so  that  again  in  1853  the  question  of  closing  the 
mission  was  considered.  In  the  course  of  a long  debate 
one  of  the  speakers  referred  to  the  work  as  the  “Lone 
Star”  of  our  mission  work  on  a western  shore  of  the  Bay 
of  Bengal.  The  next  day  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  the  author  of 
“My  Country,  ’Tis  of  Thee,”  read  the  now  famous  poem 
“The  Lone  Star.” 


6 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


“Shine  on,  ‘Lone  Star!’  Thy  radiance  bright 
Shall  spread  o’er  all  the  eastern  sky; 

Morn  breaks  apace  from  gloom  and  night; 

Shine  on,  and  bless  the  pilgrim’s  eye. 

“Shine  on,  ‘Lone  Star!’  I would  not  dim 
The  light  that  gleams  with  dubious  ray; 

The  lonely  star  of  Bethlehem 
Led  on  a bright  and  glorious  day.” 

After  earnest  prayer  and  amidst  applause  the  question 
was  settled. 

Again,  however,  in  1862,  for  the  last  time  the  question 
was  reopened  when  Mr.  Jewett  declared,  “I  will  never 
give  up  the  Telugus.  I will  go  back  alone  to  live  and  die 
among  them.”  Then  Dr.  J.  G.  Warren  suggested  that 
they  send  someone  with  Mr.  Jewett  as  he  was  entitled  to 
a Christian  burial.  Dr.  John  E.  Clough  was  sent  back 
with  him. 

After  twenty-five  years  of  sowing  the  harvest  began  to 
appear,  first  by  scores,  then  by  hundreds,  and  thousands, 
until  on  that  memorable  day,  July  3,  1878,  2,222  were 
baptized  at  Ongole.  In  three  months  10,000  were  added 
to  the  church,  which  had  grown  from  eight  members  when 
it  was  organized,  June  1,  1867,  to  nearly  twenty-five 
thousand  in  1884.  The  marvelous  blessing  of  God  upon 
the  “Lone  Star  Mission”  brought  great  encouragement 
to  the  churches  at  home. 

These  were  the  beginnings  of  American  Baptist  foreign 
mission  work,  made  possible  by  the  Judsons  and  their 
associates  in  Burma  and  by  Luther  Rice,  Rev.  Lucius 
Bolles,  D.D.,  Home  Secretary  of  the  Union  and  others  in 
America.  Through  the  devotion  of  these  men  to  the 
cause  of  Christ  and  the  needs  of  the  non-Christian  world, 
and  owing  to  their  unconquerable  spirits  American  Bap- 
tists were  enabled  in  a brief  period  of  five  years  (from 
1 833-3 8)  to  open  work  in  Europe,  China,  South  India, 
Assam  and  Bengal-Orissa.  The  East  China  field  was 
entered  at  Ningpo  in  1843  and  in  1889  work  was  begun 
in  the  great  Szchuan  province  of  faraway  West  China, 
where  two  missionaries  were  supported  several  years  by 
the  young  men  of  Minnesota.  In  1893  a strong  reen- 
forcement was  sent  to  this  field. 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


7 


It  was  not  until  1872  that  we  began  our  work  in  Japan 
with  Rev.  Nathan  Brown  at  the  age  of  sixty-four  as 
founder  of  the  mission.  The  rapidity  with  which  Dr. 
Brown  learned  the  Japanese  language,  translated  and 
wrote  hymns,  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  missionary  achieve- 
ments. 

While  work  had  been  conducted  for  a time  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  American  Negro  Baptists  on  the  west  coast 
of  Africa,  later  to  be  abandoned  in  1840,  it  was  not  until 
1884  that  Northern  Baptists  reentered  this  great  field  by 
taking  over  from  the  Livingstone  Inland  Mission — an 
English  Society  which  had  established  work  in  the  Congo 
Free  State — about  twenty  missionaries  and  the  work  at 
seven  stations.  Soon  after  American  occupation  of  the 
Philippine  Islands,  the  Society  opened  a mission  on  the 
island  of  Panay,  one  of  the  southern  group.  This  was  in 
1900.  It  was  the  latest  field  entered  by  the  Society. 

Foreign  mission  activities  of  Northern  Baptists  today 
(including  the  work  of  the  Woman’s  American  Baptist 
Foreign  Mission  Society)  are  being  conducted  in  ten 
fields.  Foreign  Secretary  Joseph  C.  Robbins  is  charged 
by  our  Board  with  administrative  responsibility  in  Burma, 
South  India,  Assam  and  Bengal-Orissa.  Foreign  Sec- 
retary James  H.  Franklin  has  similar  responsibilities  in 
Japan,  East,  South  and  West  China,  the  Philippines  and 
Africa.  Dr.  Franklin  also  has  oversight  of  our  work  in 
Europe,  where  we  cooperate  with  ourBaptist  constituency. 
The  latest  report  shows  we  have  726  missionaries,  who 
are  now  assisted  by  6,872  native  workers,  or  an  average 
of  more  than  nine  native  workers  for  each  missionary; 
1,745  organized  churches,  with  186,388  members  and 
89,661  pupils  in  Sunday  schools;  127  stations  with  2,696 
schools,  ranging  from  primary  to  college  grade;  72  hos- 
pitals and  dispensaries,  where  in  a single  year  more  than 
100,000  sufferers  were  cared  for  by  Christian  doctors 
and  nurses;  besides  several  industrial  plants,  for  prac- 
tical training,  which  is  so  essential  if  primitive  peoples 
are  ever  to  learn  the  art  of  self-support. 

During  the  last  hundred  years  over  348,000  converts 
have  been  baptized  on  all  our  mission  fields.  Statistics, 
however,  can  not  tell  of  the  hundreds  of  thousands  who 


8 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


have  received  a Christian  education,  nor  the  results  of 
missionary  service  in  creating  higher  social  standards,  in 
inaugurating  reform  movements,  in  winning  recognition 
for  the  Christian  Sabbath,  in  producing  a friendliness  for 
Christianity  nor  of  the  changes  wrought  in  the  religious 
life  and  thought  of  the  peoples  with  whom  missionaries 
have  come  in  contact.  The  total  population  of  these 
fields  is  about  535,000,000.  There  are  at  least  61,000,000 
people  in  the  fields  immediately  adjacent  to  our  Baptist 
missions  who  must  look  to  Northern  Baptists  for  the 
gospel  in  this  generation.  If  we  fail  to  do  our  full  duty 
by  these  peoples  millions  of  them  will  have  to  live  their 
lives  without  Christ. 

In  1846  the  Southern  Baptists  separated  from  their 
Northern  brethren  and  the  name  of  the  organization  was 
changed  to  the  “American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.” 
In  1872  the  women  organized  separately  and  maintained 
an  Eastern  and  a Western  society  for  a number  of  years, 
but  these  were  merged  into  one  great  society  in  1914.  The 
year  1908  marked  a new  era  in  the  history  of  our  work  in 
the  organization  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Convention. 
All  mission  societies  and  boards  were  thus  brought  into 
closer  relationship  with  each  other.  In  connection  with 
this  important  change  the  name  of  the  Society  became  the 
“American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society.”  Another 
decided  and  most  gratifying  step  toward  Baptist  unity 
was  witnessed  when  in  1911  the  missionary  work  of  Free 
Baptists  was  merged  with  that  of  the  larger  body  of  North- 
ern Baptists. 

In  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  with  compassion  upon  the 
multitudes,  who  are  as  sheep  without  a shepherd,  our 
missionaries  have  gone  forth  to  preach  the  good  news  to 
all  classes  of  people.  To  those  in  Europe  bound  down  by 
formal  religion  and  sacramentalism  our  representatives 
have  declared  the  eternal  principles  of  liberty  of  conscience 
and  stood  for  a spiritual  religion  until  Wt  have  lived  to  see 
the  marvel  of  the  world  fighting  for  those  principles  of 
liberty  and  democracy  which  are  the  product  and  pride  of 
Baptist  history. 

In  non-Christian  lands  conditions  vary  widely.  In 
Burma  to  the  wild  Karens  our  missionaries  had  to  give  a 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


9 


written  language,  as  well  as  a redemptive  religion,  and 
in  return  have  witnessed  the  gospel  with  its  wonder- 
working power  recreating  the  race.  To  the  Burmans,  the 
Karens,  the  Talains,  the  Shans,  the  Kachins,  the  Chins, 
and  in  later  years,  to  the  Lahu  and  Wa  races,  have  been 
given  churches  and  schools,  which  are  slowly  but  surely 
displacing  the  old  monastery  schools  and  destroying  the 
power  of  Buddhism.  With  joy  and  gratitude  we  record 
the  fact  that  in  Burma  today  817  of  the  1064  churches  are 
self-supporting.  This  is  a larger  percentage  of  self-support- 
ing Baptist  churches  than  can  be  found  in  any  other  field, 
including  the  territory  of  the  Northern  Baptist  Conven- 
tion. 

In  Assam  our  missionaries  have  seen  the  gospel  work 
the  miracle  of  transforming  savage  head-hunters  into 
peaceful,  law-abiding  citizens.  In  addition  to  work  among 
the  Assamese  and  the  immigrant  coolie  population  from 
Central  India,  our  missionaries  have  labored  among  the 
Garos,  the  Rabhas,  the  Nagas,  the  Mikirs,  the  Abors  and 
the  Miris.  Dr.  Thomas  S.  Barbour,  referring  to  the 
work  in  Burma  and  Assam,  said:  “The  work  in  these  two 
oldest  fields  of  the  Society  has  included  labors  in  the  most 
isolated  sections  of  Asia,  perpetuating  all  the  romance 
and  calling  for  all  the  physical  heroism  of  the  earliest 
periods  of  the  missionary  enterprise.” 

In  India,  the  home  of  the  three  great  militant  faiths  of 
the  world,  Buddhism,  Hinduism  and  Mohammedanism, 
with  the  caste  system,  embracing  four  main  castes  and 
2,378  sub-castes,  all  possessing  such  rigid  distinctions 
that  it  is  impossible  for  a man  to  pass  from  one  social 
grade  to  another,  our  missionaries,  with  true  apostolic 
faith  and  devotion,  have  borne  witness  to  the  power  of  the 
Son  of  God  to  accomplish  what  her  militant  faiths  have 
failed  to  do  for  her  in  breaking  down  the  caste  system 
and  in  bringing  loving  ministry  and  relief  to  the  helpless, 
orphaned  childhood  of  India.  Sir  Narayan  Chandavar- 
kar,  former  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  University  of  Bombay 
and  a justice  of  the  Bombay  High  Court,  said  recently: 
“The  ideas  that  lie  at  the  heart  of  the  gospel  of  Christ 
are  slowly  but  surely  permeating  every  part  of  Hindu 
society  and  modifying  every  phase  of  Hindu  thought.” 


10 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


Any  attempt,  however,  to  estimate  the  significance  of 
the  last  hundred  years  of  the  foreign  mission  enterprise 
with  our  faces  toward  the  past  would  show  a ack  of  ap- 
preciation of  real  values.  It  was  because  Judson’s  face 
was  turned  toward  the  future  that  his  appealing  words 
sounded  as  a great  bugle  call  to  the  few,  scattered  and 
feeble  Baptists  to  unite  their  interests,  to  the  end  that  the 
non-Christian  world  might  be  given  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
In  those  days  the  doors  of  India,  China,  Japan,  Africa 
and  practically  all  the  countries  then  referred  to  as  “hea- 
then nations”  were  closed  to  the  gospel.  What  it  cost 
Carey,  Judson,  Duff  in  India;  Morrison,  Martyn,  in 
China;  Verbeck,  Hepburn,  Davis  in  Japan;  Moffatt, 
Livingstone,  Mackay,  Stewart  in  Africa;  in  sacrifice, 
suffering,  hardships  beggaring  description,  testing  of 
faith  and  courage,  to  plant  the  gospel  in  these  lands,  we 
in  this  generation  know  but  little.  These  men,  than 
whom  the  Church  of  Christ  had  none  greater  in  their 
day,  were  pioneers  of  the  great  missionary  enterprise. 
Through  their  prayers  and  devotion  and  sacrifice  we  of 
today  may  behold  a miracle — the  doors  of  non-Christian 
nations  standing  wide  open  to  the  gospel.  Prof.  Edward 
C.  Moore  says:  “The  church  today  is  not  only  confronting 
the  greatest  opportunity  it  has  ever  had,  but  the  greatest 
opportunity  it  ever  can  have,  since  there  are  no  more 
Asias  or  Africas  to  be  opened  to  the  gospel.” 

Who  can  doubt  the  opportunity  in  Africa,  with  the 
forces  of  Islam  being  routed  and  the  church  population 
outnumbering  the  pagan  in  Uganda — the  very  heart  of 
the  continent?  In  Kamerun,  under  the  leadership  of 
American  Presbyterians,  the  gospel  is  winning  its  way 
marvelously.  In  other  parts  single  communion  services 
are  attended  by  more  than  eight  thousand  native  Chris- 
tians. 

In  China  where  Morrison  labored  with  such  untiring 
faith  and  courage  for  seven  years  before  winning  the  first 
convert  and  for  twenty-eight  years  more  before  he  and  his 
colleagues  could  point  to  five  additional  converts— only 
six  church  members  after  thirty-four  years’  labor — today 
we  find  men  of  education  and  social  position  in  compara- 
tively large  numbers  enrolling  themselves  in  classes  for 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


11 


the  study  of  the  Bible.  China  now  has  a Protestant 
church  membership  of  over  300,000  and  a Protestant 
community  of  over  700,000,  with  Christians  located  n at 
least  7,000  different  places  throughout  the  republic. 
Those  who  are  familiar  with  conditions  in  China  are  say- 
ing that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a genuine  mass  movement 
toward  Christianity  on  the  part  of  China’s  educated 
classes.  New  emphasis  is  being  placed  today  upon  the 
need  of  a genuine  spirit  of  evangelism.  The  call  of  the 
hour  is  for  trained  Christian  men  who  can  become  living 
witnesses  for  Christ.  China  must  be  won  to  Christ  by 
her  own  people.  America’s  best  contribution  to  China, 
as  to  many  other  non-Christian  lands,  in  this  day,  is  to 
help  train  up  Chinese  evangelists,  teachers  and  leaders 
in  all  activities  of  life,  who  shall  be  able  to  interpret  Christ 
and  his  gospel  to  their  own  countrymen.  Our  schools 
in  non-Christian  lands  have  always  been  openly  and 
strongly  Christian.  May  it  ever  continue  thus.  Only  as 
we  educate  men  and  women  to  the  fullest  devotion  to 
Christ  and  his  gospel  can  we  hope  to  accomplish  our 
mission  in  these  non-Christian  lands.  An  educated 
leadership  with  an  adulterated  Christian  spirit  will  never 
win  the  world  to  Christ. 

For  many  years  American  Baptists  stood  first  in  the  list 
of  all  foreign  mission  boards  in  the  number  of  native  church 
members  secured  and  of  organized  native  churches  on  for- 
eign mission  fields.  God  is  still  opening  up  to  us  in  these 
days  some  wonderful  evangelistic  opportunities,  such  as 
Kengtung  and  the  region  across  the  northeast  border  of 
Burma  in  China.  Our  missionaries  tell  us  there  are 
thousands  of  people  in  those  fields  who  could  be  brought 
into  fellowship  with  Christ  and  into  the  church  if  evangel- 
ists, teachers,  equipment  and  adequate  support  could  be 
provided.  But  in  all  fields  today  missionaries  are  com- 
pelled to  think  not  on  y in  terms  of  how  to  make  converts 
to  Christianity,  but  also  how  to  care  for  and  train  the 
masses  of  converts  when  they  are  received.  This  is 
bound  to  become  of  increasingly  greater  importance  as 
the  years  come  and  go.  As  the  evangelism  of  non-Chris- 
tian lands  advances  the  problem  becomes  more  and  more 
a question  “not  of  persuasion  so  much  as  of  training.” 


12 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


And  what  shall  we  say  of  India?  William  Carey  bap- 
tized his  first  convert  in  1800.  During  the  years  that 
have  passed  millions  of  believers  have  been  gathered  into 
the  church.  Discontent  with  Hinduism  is  well  illustrated 
in  one  place  where  the  increase  of  church  members  has 
been  400  per  cent,  in  ten  years.  In  another  place  the 
officials  scouted  at  the  idea  of  a Methodist  missionary, 
who  estimated  that  a census  would  reveal  10,000  Chris- 
tians in  his  district.  The  returns  showed  a total  of  18,000. 

The  religions  of  the  world  which  have  opposed  Chris- 
tianity, or  have  stood  in  its  way,  are  losing  their  hold 
upon  the  natives.  The  old  faiths  have  failed.  What  a 
testimony  to  the  value  of  Christianity  is  witnessed  in  the 
fact  that  the  Buddhist  revival  in  Japan  is  based  on  a 
wholesale  adoption  of  the  methods  of  the  Christian  mis- 
sionaries. The  singing  of  “Buddha  Loves  Me  This  I 
Know”  and  “All  Hail  the  Power  of  Buddha’s  Name,” 
the  organization  of  “Young  Men’s  Buddhist  Associations” 
and  other  similar  signs,  indicate  an  appreciation  of  the 
values  of  Christianity  which  will  shortly  afford  the  Chris- 
tian leaders  the  opportunity  to  substitute  the  name  of 
Christ  for  that  of  Buddha.  The  conduct  of  the  Buddhists 
already  reveals  the  fact  that  in  Japan  their  religion  has 
failed  to  give  them  what  their  hearts  crave.  The  present 
stage,  in  which  the  leaders  of  the  Buddhist  revival  think 
the  power  of  Christianity  is  in  names  and  forms,  will 
soon  pass.  Will  the  church  be  ready  in  that  day  with  a 
sufficient  band  of  trained  workers  to  reap  the  harvest  of 
souls  for  Christ? 

As  we  compare  conditions  today  with  those  of  a hundred 
years  ago  we  find  the  Karen  churches  supporting  mission- 
aries in  remote  districts  of  Burma,  Siam  and  China  while 
the  Telugu  Christians  have  sent  two  of  their  number  as 
missionaries  and  give  financial  support  to  the  work  at 
Natal,  Africa.  Thus  it  appears  that  our  oldest  missions 
are  doing  quite  as  extensive  a piece  of  foreign  mission 
work  today  as  all  our  American  Baptists  were  doing  a 
century  ago.  And  now  in  place  of  a few  missionaries, 
who  had  to  endure  indescribable  hardships  in  order  to  be 
allowed  to  witness  for  Christ  in  lands  which  were  then 
closed  to  the  gospel  message,  we  find  wide  open  doors 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


13 


and  easy  access  to  practically  all  lands.  The  need  of 
trained,  well-equipped  preachers,  teachers,  industrial 
workers,  doctors  and  nurses  is  the  great  outstanding  call 
of  our  mission  fields  today.  In  the  next  five  years  our 
Boards  must  send  at  least  222  missionaries  if  we  are  to 
provide  adequate  leadership  in  the  fields  where  we  are 
now  doing  work.  That  our  representatives  may  make 
their  lives  count  to  the  full  and  that  the  work  may  be 
conducted  along  the  lines  of  highest  efficiency  our  boards 
will  also  need  during  the  same  period  vastly  larger  sums 
of  money. 

A century  ago  God  gave  to  the  Baptists  through  Judson 
and  others  a new  vision  of  his  will  and  purpose.  In  these 
days  he  is  giving  men  and  women  a new  vision  of  how  to 
use  their  wealth.  The  Coles  Memorial  High  School  at 
Kurnool,  and  the  Coles-Ackerman  Memorial  High  School 
at  Nellore,  South  India;  the  Memorial  Tower  at  Rangoon, 
Burma;  the  Gertrude  Lewis  Memorial  Hostel  at  Gauhati, 
Assam;  the  Van  Deman  Memorial  Hall  at  Chengtu,  West 
China;  the  Haskell  Gymnasium  at  Shanghai;  the  Pickford 
Memorial  Hospital  at  Kinhwa,  East  China;  the  Rhoda 
Roblee  Barker  Memorial  at  Hopo,  South  China;  the 
Gertrude  Preston  Rutherford  Memorial  School  soon  to  be 
erected  at  Hanumakonda,  South  India;  also  the  Science 
Building  soon  to  be  erected  at  Shanghai  and  other  build- 
ings are  evidences  of  the  appreciation  on  the  part  of  men 
and  women  of  wealth  of  the  importance  of  the  missionary 
enterprise. 

One  of  God’s  noblemen  has  undertaken  to  do  a big  piece 
of  work  in  Szchuan  Province.  Our  Board  has  been  placed 
in  a position  where  it  can  proceed  to  erect  residences, 
schools,  hospitals  and  other  Buildings  as  needed  at  a cost 
of  approximately  $200,000.00.  This  one  man  has  a vision 
of  making  a great  investment  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  in 
West  China.  He  will  thus  be  the  means  under  God  of 
relieving  human  suffering,  dispelling  ignorance,  supersti- 
tion and  fear  and  of  bringing  the  light  and  blessing  of 
Christ  to  multitudes  of  people.  What  an  investment! 
The  same  spirit  of  God  is  moving  upon  the  hearts  of  these 
men  and  women  of  wealth  that  led  out  the  missionary 
pioneers  a century  ago. 


14 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


Great  things  are  ahead  of  us.  Who  will  provide  chapels, 
hospitals,  residences  and  schools  for  our  thirty-seven 
missionaries  now  working  with  inadequate  equipment 
in  the  Belgian  Congo  Mission,  so  as  to  enable  them  to  make 
their  lives  count  for  the  most  ? Who  will  finance  the  whole 
enterprise  of  the  Jorhat  Christian  Schools  in  Assam,  where, 
fed  by  our  twelve  mission  stations  serving  four  and  a half 
millions  of  people,  we  are  building  up  a Christian  school 
system  out  of  which  will  come  leaders  for  all  spheres  of 
activity?  Who  will  finance  Wayland  Academy  at  Hang- 
chow and  develop  a Christian  man-making  institution 
which  will  help  to  win  China’s  four  hundred  millions  to 
Christ?  Who  will  furnish  the  money  for  Judson  College 
in  connection  with  the  new  Burma  University,  and  thus 
make  possible  the  training  of  Christian  leaders  in  the 
land  where  Judson  invested  his  life  so  full  of  sacrifice  until 
its  richness  has  overflowed  into  all  the  earth?  Who  will 
be  prepared  to  furnish  church  buildings  for  Japan  and 
conserve  the  harvest  which  is  surely  coming  as  the  fruitage 
of  the  years  in  which  our  faithful  missionaries  have  been 
sowing  the  seed,  and  in  which  Captain  Bickel,  embracing 
every  opportunity  to  preach  Christ,  sailed  the  Inland 
Sea  in  his  “Gospel  Ship”?  Where  are  the  222  young 
business  men  who  will  underwrite  the  salaries  of  the  new 
missionaries  we  are  praying  God  to  raise  up  to  go  to  the 
field  in  the  next  five  years?  Where  are  the  150  people  in 
America  who,  while  enjoying  the  comforts  of  Christian 
homes,  will  build  residences  for  our  missionaries  abroad? 
Where  are  the  7 5 Baptist  churches  comfortably  housed 
which  will  erect  houses  of  worship  for  the  churches  in 
non-Christian  lands,  where  the  people  have  not  yet  learned 
the  value  of  Christianity  or  the  art  of  self-support  ? These 
are  but  a few  of  the  many  opportunities  which  our  Board 
has  to  offer  to  men  and  women  whom  the  Lord  has  blessed 
with  this  world’s  goods.  Where  can  investments  yielding 
more  priceless  returns  be  found? 

The  world  is  expecting  greater  things  of  the  church  of 
today  than  ever  before.  Evidences  are  unmistakable 
that  God  is  leading  his  people  to  a program  built  on  a 
vastly  larger  scale  than  any  previous  generation  has  ever 
undertaken.  The  only  remedy  for  the  ills  of  humanity 


OUR  TASK  ABROAD 


15 


is  the  Gospel  of  Christ.  No  program  however  large  or  small 
will  succeed  if  it  fails  to  recognize  the  saving  power  and 
lordship  of  the  Son  of  God.  His  Gospel  must  be  applied 
to  all  conditions  of  life  and  to  all  peoples  in  all  lands. 
This  applies  to  the  social,  industrial  and  religious  con- 
ditions of  America  as  well  as  to  other  nations.  We  are 
witnessing  in  these  days  the  awful  spectacle  of  masses  of 
men  determined  to  shape  up  a program  for  the  world’s 
future  without  any  consideration  of  the  church.  The 
eyes  of  the  world  are  on  the  churches  of  America.  In 
the  light  of  her  resources  of  money  and  men  and  her  re- 
sponsibility as  custodian  of  the  gospel  of  salvation  for  all 
peoples,  if  the  church  fails  her  Lord  and  the  world  at  this 
hour  she  will  surely  lose  her  own  soul. 

“If  God  ever  called  a church  to  fulfill  national 
aspirations  by  carrying  on  a work  which  a nation 
has  so  well  begun,  God  is  now  calling  upon  the 
Church  of  Christ  to  do  that  thing  for  which  the 
past  centuries  of  achievement  have  been  but  a day 
of  preparation.” 


For  additional  literature  or 
information  regarding  the 
work  of  the  American  Bap- 
tist Foreign  Mission  Soci- 
ety, write  to  any  of  the 
following: 

1.  The  District  Secretary 
of  your  District. 

2.  Literature  Depart- 
ment, Box  41,  Boston, 

Mass. 

For  information  regarding 
gifts,  write  to 

J.  Y.  AITCHISON, 

Home  Secretary 
Box  41,  Boston,  Mass. 


173— 2M— 5-8-1919 


